title: Effects of puerarin on cardiac differentiation and ventricular specialization of murine embryonic stem cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is important to screen and identify chemical compounds to improve the efficiency of cardiac differentiation and specialization of embryonic stem (ES) cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of puerarin, a natural phytoestrogen, on the in vitro cardiac differentiation and ventricular specialization of murine ES cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac differentiation of murine ES cells was performed by embryoid body (EB)-based differentiation method. Quantitative RT-PCR, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were employed to identify cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from murine ES cells (mES-CMs). Patch clamp was used to study the electrophysiological properties of CMs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that continuous puerarin treatment significantly increased the population of ES-CMs which express typical cardiac markers and are electrophysiological intact. Puerarin treatment shifted the cardiac phenotype from pacemaker-like cells to ventricular-like cells, which were Mlc2v-positive and present typical ventricular-like AP. Puerarin up-regulated transcripts involved in cardiac differentiation and ventricular specialization of ES cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that puerarin promotes cardiac differentiation, and significantly enhances the specialization of mES cells into ventricular-like CMs. Puerarin may be used to increase the yield of ventricular mES-CMs during in vitro differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Chinese-German Stem Cell Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory for Drug Target Researches and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Mengmeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Yurong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Huamin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Yuanlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xinwu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Jiayu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hescheler
authors.forename: Jiaoya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D004594:Electrophysiology; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007529:Isoflavones; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; C033607:puerarin